Students at North Adams Jerome learn from documentary 'Bully'

Monday

Feb 25, 2013 at 9:00 AMFeb 25, 2013 at 9:00 AM

By Matt Durr

matt.durr@hillsdale.netNORTH ADAMS — Bullying is a problem in every school in every town in America. More than likely, the majority of students have seen or been bullied in their lives. The effects of bullying can have major repercussions on students and the people around them. With that in mind, North Adams-Jerome Middle and High School students took a field trip Thursday to attend a screening of the documentary “Bully” at the Michigan Theatre in Jackson.“it’s not just about us saying, ‘you’ve got to stop bullying and stand up against bullying.’ We went as a school, as a unit, six through 12 and I think that had a big impact,” said Rhonda Drumms, a teacher at the high school. “It showed them that this is serious stuff and we’re all going to go together... and see if we can make a difference.“It was a unity thing that I think was awesome for our school.”The students spent Thursday morning traveling to Jackson and viewing the film which was released in 2012. After returning to school, student were to spend their fifth hour class discussing their feelings on the film. That discussion carried over well into the sixth hour classes.“I thought it was sad,” said junior Morgan Miller. “But it explained a lot and it was good to know that some kids go through the same things everyday and they are people out there that are trying to stop it.”Students in Drumm’s sixth hour freshmen health class agreed that the film was sad and some said they cried while watching it. However when asked by Drumm if the film was a useful experience, the majority of the class said it was the best thing they’ve done all year.Because North Adams-Jerome is a small town, most students know one another and know who is being bullied or not. Students say that even though there is some bullying in the school, it’s not a terrible problem.“I don’t see it on a daily basis. Some people hide doing it,” said junior Addie Daniels. “It’s not really out in the open.”“There’s a lot of cyber-bullying,” Miller said.With so many options available to teenagers to assist with bullying, Drumm said it was important for the staff and faculty to be aware of the impact as well.“Our whole staff went. We wanted the bus drivers to go,” Drumm said. “Everyone that could go, we wanted there because we are also a part of this. We need to be able to spot it. We need to be able to know what to do. It’s not just for the students.”To prepare for the screening, Drumm helped coordinate the signing of permission slips. arranging of busses and rearranging of schedules. She also addressed the high school students on Wednesday to discuss the topics that were in the film and to prepare them for the various stories they would hear.The school also held screenings for parents to allow them to judge if the content was appropriate for their children and to educate them as well.The film features strong language and situations that involved violence among students. The film was originally given an R rating before being dropped down to PG-13.After discussing the film, Miller said she better understood the impact of bullying.“It doesn’t affect just you, it affects the people around you,” Miller said.Although Daniels said the film got through to most of her classmates, she knows not everyone took it seriously.“There is still going to bullying out there no matter we try to do,” Daniels said. “There are always going to be those people that aren’t going to change. Even if they hurt someone.”Daniels and Miller both said they think the film is beneficial and said they would recommend other schools organizing screenings as well. Drumm agrees.“Just hearing my students talking about it and how much they want to discuss it and what they got from the movie, I definitely other schools should do it,” Drumm said. “I think they need to make it a big deal to the kids.”